Professional golfer Mike Weir is using his charitable foundation to raise funds for a new youth mental health program in the Sarnia-Lambton region.
The Mike Weir Foundation has pledged to match up to $200,000 in donations in an effort to raise at least $400,000 to open an ACCESS Open Minds facility for youth aged 11-25.
The facility will be similar to one currently in operation in Chatham-Kent and could be in operation by next summer, with support from Canadian Mental Health Association, Lambton-Kent.
Donations can be made through mikeweir.com. The Mike Weir Par 3 Challenge for Mental Health golf tournament, set for Sept. 19 at Huron Oaks Golf Club in Brights Grove, Ont. will also raise funds for the cause.
ACCESS Open Minds is a research and evaluation network that marks a major innovation in how youth mental health services in Canada are designed, delivered and evaluated. Across 14 sites in six provinces and one territory, teams of mental health service providers use a common research and evaluation program co-developed with youth, caregivers and service providers to evaluate how they provide services. ACCESS Open Minds is generating new knowledge about youth mental health services in diverse contexts across Canada to ensure that Canadian youth receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place.
Since 2004, the Mike Weir Foundation has been dedicated to advancing the physical, emotional and educational welfare of children. Learn more at mikeweir.com/the-mike-weir-foundation.
For more information about CMHA Lambton-Kent, visit lambtonkent.cmha.ca or check out the branch’s Facebook page.